I think Kevin's PCS progress is in spite of Joanne. He worked with Shae-Lynn and must have followed her pointers.

I would not compare the Kevin coaching situation with Sandhu or Mira . Mira's mother interfered with things and Sandhu never had the right attitude ( work ethic etc ) Kevin does not have those problems.

However Joanne has taught kevin an absolutely awful axel technique ( which can be seen in her other students as well ) . Even if he lands his quads the axel will always be a problem with the horrible technique he has on that jump.

I think Kevin's PCS progress is in spite of Joanne. He worked with Shae-Lynn and must have followed her pointers.

I would not compare the Kevin coaching situation with Sandhu or Mira . Mira's mother interfered with things and Sandhu never had the right attitude ( work ethic etc ) Kevin does not have those problems.

However Joanne has taught kevin an absolutely awful axel technique ( which can be seen in her other students as well ) . Even if he lands his quads the axel will always be a problem with the horrible technique he has on that jump.

And that is unfortunate. I really hope he gets some outside help with that axel technique. It always seems to be a problem.

Most skaters will glide on a back outside edge before turning to the forward outside edge of an Axel. I find that it could be problematic. When I skated I found that using a choctaw from the back inside edge to the forward outside edge was easier. I never noticed Kevin's preparation for the Axel, but I believe Lambiel had that problem and he should have switched to the choctaw.

The other thing is the hyping of any kind of rivalry with Chan was a joke and completely unreasonable and unfair to Kevin. Now that he is trying quads Chan would have to fall 10 times to lose to a clean Reynolds. Reynolds was a gulf behind Chan when Chan wasnt even attempting a quad. Now that Chan is doing quads he is better than Reynolds in everything, even his quads are much better than Reynolds has ever done. Chan even calls himself the quad king now, LOL! So it was silly of the Canadian media to try to hype up something so ridiculous.

The other thing is the hyping of any kind of rivalry with Chan was a joke and completely unreasonable and unfair to Kevin. Now that he is trying quads Chan would have to fall 10 times to lose to a clean Reynolds. Reynolds was a gulf behind Chan when Chan wasnt even attempting a quad. Now that Chan is doing quads he is better than Reynolds in everything, even his quads are much better than Reynolds has ever done. Chan even calls himself the quad king now, LOL! So it was silly of the Canadian media to try to hype up something so ridiculous.

Yes, I think this hype made Kevin nervous and that was a contributor to his bad performances. I don't see him as a legit challenger to Chan and I did not going into Nationals. I was thinking more about the Reynolds/Sawyer/Russell rivalry for the World Team spots.

Reynolds is not exactly known for clean performances--I don't think I have ever seen him do two clean performances in international competition. And anyhow, Reynolds (even if clean) is never going to get 8s in PCS, which Chan gets even for so-so performances. I don't see Reynolds ever beating Chan head-to-head, even if Chan has off performances.

When does Patrick call himself the quad king? In this pre-Nationals piece, he called Kevin the Quad King.

"Kevin and I have competed against each other, but not in these circumstances," Chan said. "Since I'm going to be bringing two quads, and he's pretty much the quad king, we're going to have quite a good quad battle, and we haven't had that (at nationals) in a while.

eta. I don't understand why so much hate for Kevin's hair. It's pretty cool, probably as expensive and high maintenance as many women's "natural look". Why so sure that judges hold it against him?

Kevin has naturally curly hair, which he straightens and then allows it to stick out all over his head like a Chia pet. It looks sloppy and unkempt-NOT cool and definitely not 'natural'. Sometimes I wonder if his jump problems are exacerbated by all that hair hanging in his face, obscuring his vision.

eta. I don't understand why so much hate for Kevin's hair. It's pretty cool, probably as expensive and high maintenance as many women's "natural look". Why so sure that judges hold it against him?[/QUOTE]

I don't mean to belittle his choice of hair style, but there are some functional aspects that might be hindering his performance as the poster below indicates:

Originally Posted by chuckm

Kevin has naturally curly hair, which he straightens and then allows it to stick out all over his head like a Chia pet. It looks sloppy and unkempt-NOT cool and definitely not 'natural'. Sometimes I wonder if his jump problems are exacerbated by all that hair hanging in his face, obscuring his vision.

Of course judges are supposed to be "impartial" but they are humans. If his hairstyle annoys many of us fans, I can only assume that some of those judges also wonder about his hairstyle, too.

Let's face it. Aesthetics/presentation/appearance can enhance technical ability you display. For that matter, I would like to see his hair better kempt. Getting a bit of tan might also help create better definition, as he is very pale, and sometimes I cannot discern where his light colored hair ends and his skin begins. Finally I would like to see him in a better fitted outfit.

All those points may enable to present himself better, which I assume would enhance considerable technical skills he already possess.

Let's face it. Aesthetics/presentation/appearance can enhance technical ability you display. For that matter, I would like to see his hair better kempt. Getting a bit of tan might also help create better definition, as he is very pale, and sometimes I cannot discern where his light colored hair ends and his skin begins. Finally I would like to see him in a better fitted outfit.

All those points may enable to present himself better, which I assume would enhance considerable technical skills he already possess.

I wish him the best luck.

Getting a tan ( whether by sun or tanning bed ) is not healthy especially for fair skinned redheads like Kevin. He can however fake one with tanning creams and bronzing powders to get the look you are talking about.

Getting a tan ( whether by sun or tanning bed ) is not healthy especially for fair skinned redheads like Kevin. He can however fake one with tanning creams and bronzing powders to get the look you are talking about.

Fair skinned people should spend 1/2 hour in the Sun because it is the sun's rays that has the beneficial vitamin D3. Keven would not burn for 1/2 hour in the sun, but also get a little tanned by the end of summer if he wants that.

Lots of male competitors are using cleverly disguised makeup for competition. Why not? Many professional men do it discreetly in business.